TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) lauded Japan’s continuous support for Taiwan at a Taiwanese expatriate reception on Sunday.

In his remarks, Lee said Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru separately reaffirmed their support for Taiwan to APEC envoy Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) at APEC meetings. Takaichi also said in November that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could prompt Japan to take action.

Lee thanked Takaichi for pledging to strengthen the Japan-US alliance to better prepare for a Taiwan contingency.

He said China recently banned all dual-use material exports to Japan, including rare earths for semiconductors and automobile manufacturing. However, Lee said the move could be an opportunity for Tokyo to re-examine its reliance on China.

Taiwan’s investment in China as a share of its total outward investment once reached 84% in 2010, Lee said, but fell to 3.7% last year, significantly reducing Taiwan’s dependence on China.

Lee encouraged Taiwan and Japan to combine their strengths and become an important global hub for high-tech manufacturing. This would enhance the competitiveness of both Taiwan and Japan and contribute to prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

“In today’s rapidly changing international environment, I firmly believe that closer cooperation, mutual support, and assistance between Taiwan and Japan will become increasingly important,” he said.